Why Dating Is A Lot Like Ordering From the Starbucks Menu

Posted on February 5, 2014

Youth Lesson on DatingI can think of several times I’ve gone into Starbucks and have been really unsure what to order. I probably looked the menu up and down a hundred times, just trying to find the “right” drink for me.

I don’t know a lot about coffee, so many times I’ll ask the person taking my order what they like to drink. I’ve ordered some drinks that they liked, but many times I’m disappointed in my order.

Its not that Starbucks is bad, its that I don’t know enough about coffee to ask for the right things. I end up with an order that doesn’t always fit my expectations.

A lot of the time, I think its easy to do the same thing when it comes to dating. Its easy to not know enough about dating and then end up disappointed in the process.

One important thing you can do when dating is to be an informed dater. Take some time to list out the four or five things you must have in the opposite sex. Likewise, list some things that you can’t stand. Then use this list as a guideline when approaching new relationships. This will help you weed out potential dates and help reduce the chances you will be disappointed in the end.

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5 Reasons To Break Up With Your Girlfriend or Boyfriend

Posted on January 31, 2014

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Relationships can get complicated sometimes. Its hard to know if you should break up or make up with the person you’re dating. We’ve come up with an awesome list of reasons why you should break up with the person you’re dating.

  1. They’re not ‘with it’ spiritually – You’ve probably heard that if the person you’re dating isn’t a Christian you should not date them. But many times we let our guard down with who we date after that. If the person is a Christian, we figure it’s okay, and plunge ahead into a dating relationship. However, even though a person is a Christian, that doesn’t mean they are in the same place as you spiritually. You might be really into God and want to know Him more, but the person you’re dating couldn’t really care less. They’d rather just watch TV than get to know God. If this is the case with you, you need to break up with this person. If you’re not on the same page spiritually, break up with the person you’re dating.
  2. They’re pressuring you sexually. If you’re dating someone that is pressuring you to do anything sexually that you’re uncomfortable with, run for your life. The person you date should love you for you, and not pressure you to do something that you’re uncomfortable with. If you’re being pressured to do anything sexually in any way big or small, run for your life!
  3. They flirt with others. If the person you’re dating is always flirting with others when you’re around they don’t respect you. If the person you date doesn’t respect you enough to pay attention to you when you’re out on a date then you should find someone who will. Don’t be afraid to break up with someone if they’re flirting with others in front of your face.
  4. Your parents and friends don’t approve. If your parents and friends don’t approve of your relationship, you should be open to taking a closer look at your relationship. They may be noticing some warning flags that you’re blinded to. Take note of what your friends and family think of your relationship. They can offer you solid advice and see things you might be missing. If they don’t approve, take a good honest look at your relationship and determine if you should break up.
  5. You’re Being Abused – If you’re being abused either verbally or physically, no matter how small you need to get out of your relationship. Small abuses now could grow into huge problems if you kept dating and chose to marry this person. If you’re being abused, break up!

These are just a few things to think about when you’re dating. If you are experiencing any of these in your relationship you need to prayerfully consider breaking up with the person you’re dating. Never settle for anything less than God’s best.

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Help! I Messed Up Big

Posted on January 29, 2014

Youth Devotion - Making Mistakes, Messing Up

I remember one time I messed up in a big way. My goal in life was to have everyone laugh and think I was funny. So to be funny, I decided to write a note to a guy in the class who got teased a lot. I wrote him a note, and called him some pretty funny names. I wasn’t really trying to hurt his feelings, I just wanted my friends to think I was funny.

The teacher found the note being passed around the class. She also figured out that I wrote the note. It was then I started to feel bad, and realized that my actions had really hurt someone else.

I’m sure you’ve probably made a mistake where you’ve really hurt someone else. How do you handle things after you’ve hurt someone? How do you make things right?

  1. Ask Forgiveness – This is really hard to do. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone what you did was wrong and ask them to forgive you. However, if you do, it will make you feel better, and start the healing process between you and the person affected by your mistake.
    “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” – Eph 4:32 (NLT)
  2. Make Things Right – In some situations, someone’s property might have gotten damaged or hurt by your actions. For example, if you got mad at your brother, and threw his XBOX game across the room and it broke, you would need to buy him a new game. If someone’s property was damaged or destroyed by your actions, its your responsibility to make it right. The Bible talks about restoring property in Leviticus 24:18.
    “Anyone who kills another person’s animal must pay for it in full—a live animal for the animal that was killed.” – Lev 24:18 (NLT)
  3. Give it time – Sometimes, it takes time for a relationship to heal. It might take you some time before your relationship is back to normal between you and the person you hurt. Don’t get discouraged if it takes awhile.

When you mess up, it can be really hard on both you and the person that was hurt by your actions. But remember, don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes and sometimes others are hurt in the process. Choose to turn your mistake into an opportunity to learn and grow.

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Why Did Noah Build The Ark?

Posted on January 17, 2014

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Many people know the story of Noah, but why exactly did God have Noah build the ark in the first place?

Until that time in history there were no kings, or laws. Each person was doing what seemed right in their own eyes. The world had gotten so messed up that people were completely against all that was right and good. They were destroying themselves and would continue this way until something changed it.

God loved mankind and had a plan to one day bring a savior into the world to take away the sin of the world.

God knew that to complete His plan, He would need to start over. He had to get the world back in line with how He had created things to run. In Genesis 5:6 we see God’s heart in this very tough decision.

It grieved God to have to make such a tough decision. He chose to save the world of sin and the future of all those that would one day come to know Jesus. But in order to accomplish this everyone and everything on the earth had to be destroyed.

Noah had to build an ark in so that one day Jesus could come to earth and pay the price once and for all for sin. Take a moment today to thank God for his love. A love that chose to do whatever it took to bring us into a relationship with God!

Who Should I Pray To?

Posted on January 8, 2014

Devotion For Teens On PrayerHave you ever wondered who to pray to? Or who you should address when you pray? Should you start out your prayer by saying, “Our Father”? Or should you be directing your prayers to Mary? There are so many questions about what is the “right” way to pray. How do you decide who you should pray to and what you should call that person?

The best place to start with questions on prayer is in the Bible. The Bible talks a lot about prayer. One place that talks about prayer is when Jesus was with his disciples in Luke 11. His disciples started asking Jesus questions about prayer. One of the first things they asked Jesus was to teach them how to pray. Jesus responded like this:

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″] 2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3Give us each day the food we need, 4and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” [/quote]

In this verse, Jesus shows us who we should be praying to, God the Father. He addresses God as Father and since he was giving the disciples a model for prayer in these verses, we can use the same format when we are praying. We can talk to God as our father in prayer! That’s exciting news. God isn’t some far off God that has nothing to do with our lives, but he’s a real God that we can pray to as father.

So remember, that when you pray, you are praying to God the father. He’s the one that you’re talking to and spending time with.

Help! I Don’t Like Myself

Posted on January 3, 2014

Devotion for Teens on liking yourselfHave you ever looked in the mirror and hated what you saw? Maybe you felt like the person staring back at you in the mirror was too fat or too skinny. Maybe you don’t mind how you look, but you can’t stand the way you act. You try to be funny, but no one seems to get your jokes. You just wish you could say the right thing at the right time. Sometimes, one of the hardest things to do in life is to like yourself. This dis-like of yourself if not checked can lead you to do destructive things, hang out with the wrong people, and maybe even attempt to harm yourself. So what should you do when you feel like you just don’t like yourself?

  1. Stop comparing – If you compare yourself to others and use that to gauge how you feel about yourself, you will always come up with the wrong conclusion. There are always going to be people that are smarter than you, and there are going to be people who aren’t as smart as you. If you use others to judge how you feel about yourself, you’re going to find that sometimes you like yourself, and other times you don’t. This causes instability and makes life no fun. The Bible talks about comparing yourself to others in 2 Corinthians 10:12.
    “Oh, don’t worry; we wouldn’t dare say that we are as wonderful as these other men who tell you how important they are! But they are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant!” – 2 Cor 10:12 (NLT)
  2. Get God’s View – The best way to begin liking yourself is to find out what God says about you. Find some scriptures that help encourage you and speak them over your life. Choose to change your view of yourself by getting God’s view of you. Here’s a couple to get you started:
    “God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” -1 Cor 6:20 (CEV)
    “I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made.” – Psalm 139:14a (God’s Word)

God made you with a special plan, purpose, and destiny for your life. Don’t discount what God wants to do in and through you. He has amazing plans for your life. Spend the time developing a view of yourself that matches up to how God sees you. If you do, you’ll find yourself beginning to like who you are.

Read: Straight Talk on Insecurity: Overcoming Emotional Battles with the Power of God’s Word! by Joyce Meyer

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What Your Headphones Can Teach You About Going To Church

Posted on December 27, 2013

Lesson for Teens on Church

Have you ever noticed how many different types of headphones are around? There’s the ear bud type and the over the ear kind. Then there’s choices of color, brand, quality and price. When it comes to headphones, as consumers we’re got tons of great options to choose from. In this devotion, we’re going to look at headphones and see what they can show us about going to church.

One important thing that headphones do is help you hear your music better. If I were to try to listen to my iPod without headphones, I wouldn’t have much luck. See without the headphones, I wouldn’t be able to hear anything. In the same way, the pastor of your local church helps you hear and understand the Bible better. A pastor can show you things that you might not have ever even thought about in the Bible. He or she can help you uncover and hear the word better.

Another thing headphones do is connect. Headphones have to be plugged into an iPod, phone, computer, or other device to be useful. Without being plugged in they don’t really do any good. That’s a lot like church. To be the most use out of going to church, you’ve got to get plugged in. You can do that by becoming a part of a Bible study, volunteering in the nursery, or helping out with an outreach ministry. Whatever you do, get involved. You’ll get the most out of your experience at church when you get involved in giving back and in relationships with others.

“…not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25 (Message)

Going to church is an important part of your growth as a Christian. The local church provides you an opportunity to grow spiritually and provides a place for you to develop your gifts. Continue to plug in to your local church and watch how much you begin to grow!

Your Rockin’ Christmas Checklist

Posted on December 23, 2013

Devotion for Teens on Christmas

Christmas season is in full swing! Stores are crammed full of people doing their last minute shopping and you’re probably gearing up for all the good food that you’re going to eat in the next few days. Because Christmas is such a busy time, its easy to forget some stuff, so we’ve got a checklist guaranteed to help you get rocking around that Christmas tree!

[list type=”check”]

  • Decide to be happy – Its easy to fall into the habit of unhappiness at Christmas time, and its usually the small things that steal the fun right out of Christmas. It usually starts with simple things, like being jealous about the presents a friend got, or feeling upset because you were forced to go to Aunt Lucy’s house instead of hanging out with your friends. Choose to not let the simple things make you unhappy this Christmas. Decide no matter what to be happy and you’ll be rocking around the Christmas tree in no time!
  • Be thankful – No matter how stinky your Christmas seems, you can always find things to be thankful for. One thing to be thankful for at Christmas is the fact that Jesus came into the world to pay the price for your sins. You’re not getting what you deserve, which was hell. Instead Jesus paid the price for your sins so you can party it up this Christmas season!
  • Remember what Christmas is Really About – There’s usually so much going on at Christmas that sometimes its easy to forget what Christmas is really about…JESUS! Spend some time thinking about what Jesus means to you, and be sure to thank Him for what He’s done in your life.

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Keep in mind this Christmas season how awesome Jesus is. Think about all He’s done in your life, and take time to be thankful. If you do, you’ll find that you’ll be rocking around that Christmas tree in no time!

Listen: Christmas This Year by TobyMac

3 Reasons Jesus Is Better Than Santa Claus

Posted on December 18, 2013

Devotion for teens on why Jesus is better than Santa

Santa is a pretty cool guy! We’ve got nothing against the guy in the red suit, but we do want to list a few reasons why Jesus is way better than Santa.

1. Jesus doesn’t give out coal. The great thing about Jesus is that He doesn’t give bad gifts, like coal. He only gives the best gifts, you know the ones the non-coal type. Jesus has your best interests at heart and is all about giving you awesome gifts. So no matter what you are in need of this Christmas season, Jesus has your answer!

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. – James 1:17 (Message)

2. Santa gifts last a year or two but Jesus’ gifts last forever. There’s lots of awesome gifts that you can get from Santa. Many times, those toys might be really great when you first get them, but after a while, you usually outgrow them or they go out of style. Jesus, on the other hand gives gifts that never wear out or get outdated. The gifts Jesus gives are ones that you can enjoy for the rest of your life!

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. – James 1:17 (Message)

3. Talking to Santa lasts a few months, talking to Jesus lasts a lifetime.
The great thing about Jesus is that you are able to talk to Him at any time. He’s there and ready to listen. You don’t have to wait until the Christmas season and find him at a department store to talk to Him. You can talk to Jesus at anytime and in any place, and He’s ready to listen.

Jesus has got Santa beat when it comes to Christmas awesomeness. Where Santa is lacking, Jesus has got him covered. Jesus desires nothing more than getting to know you better this Christmas season. So in the middle of your time off from school and eating your weight in candy canes, take some time to think about all the good things that Jesus has done for you, and be sure to thank Him for being way better than Santa!

 

What Mountain Dew Can Teach You About Life

Posted on December 11, 2013

Mountain Dew is a really popular drink which tastes amazing! Even though Mountain Dew tastes so good, it doesn’t really offer any nutritional value. For example, drinking a bottle of Mountain Dew every day won’t help you become a better athlete. However, drinking a sports drink could help because they are specially designed to help athletes. It’s the ingredients that make up those sports drinks that make the difference.

That’s true in life too. It’s the ingredients or tools that we build our lives on that matter. It’s those ingredients that we build our lives upon that determine our success. Jesus talks about this in Matthew.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27 NLT)

So what are you building your life on? Are you building your life on Jesus? If you do, your foundation in life will be secure and unshakeable. If you haven’t made Jesus the foundation of your life choose to start today. Put Jesus first and you’ll be really glad you did.